Former Suns GM: Suns have to be bad to get better

By Arizona Sports | December 30, 2011 at 12:55 amUPDATED: December 30, 2011 at 1:08 am

Former Phoenix Suns General Manager Steve Kerr knows this
franchise, and his assessment of the team is quite
telling.

“The reality is you have to accept that to get good again,
you have to be bad. It’s just the way it works in the NBA.
And it’s a painful process,” Kerr said Thursday on Arizona
Sports 620’s Burns and Gambo.

The Suns’ early struggles have been heavily documented,
causing some to believe the team’s best chance of
improving in the future would be to trade their most
prized piece today.

When asked about Steve Nash’s trade value, the TNT
basketball analyst speculated about the return the Suns
could expect in exchange for their franchise guard.

“It’s tricky because of his age and because the season
already started and teams have used trade exceptions and
cap space,” Kerr stated.

As far as finding a trading partner, Kerr contemplated
which teams would match up with the Suns.

“In general, if you’re a team that’s looking for Steve
Nash, you are probably a playoff team that needs help at
that spot,” Kerr began, “and, there aren’t that many teams
like that. The Knicks would qualify. They don’t know
what’s going to happen to Baron Davis. But I watched on
Christmas Day and they need a point guard pretty badly.”

As far as other options go, Kerr surmised the Suns could
get a first round pick for Nash, but not a lottery pick.

While it’s virtually impossible to imagine the Suns
without Steve Nash, it’s critically important that this
team starts looking towards the future — no matter how
agonizing.

“The problem for the Suns is that it’s going to be
painful,” Kerr added. “But they do have cap room next
year, they are going to have a good draft pick and that’s
the way they have to start trying to build.”